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To: Aquinasfan
It is impossible to know the limit of thought. But since the mind (an aspect of the spiritual soul) has the power to apprehend all things presented to it, it is in a sense all things, as Aristotle said.

Regardless of Aristotle, every test and measurement (both scientific and mathematical) indicates that the human mind is an extremely complicated but otherwise boring piece of finite state machinery. This isn't proof of course, but there hasn't been the contrary test result to show otherwise and tons that support that hypothesis going back half a century.

69 posted on 01/10/2002 12:26:48 PM PST by tortoise
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To: tortoise
every test and measurement (both scientific and mathematical) indicates that the human mind is an extremely complicated but otherwise boring piece of finite state machinery.

How would you recognize if this were an incorrect statement?

76 posted on 01/10/2002 12:46:12 PM PST by Woahhs
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To: tortoise
an extremely complicated but otherwise boring piece of finite state machinery.

If this means what I think it means -- that the brain could theoretically be halted like a computer and it memory dumped for analysis -- I think you're wrong.

Everything about the brain suggests a lot of analog processing going on. Not to mention there has never been any demonstration that even the simplest information can be captured and decoded.

There has been a tremendous effort to replace damaged sensory inputs -- hearing for example -- with computerized prosthetics. The results so far indicate two things: we don't know how sound is converted into usable nerve impulses, and the brain is so adaptable that it can learn, with time and effort, to use crappy inputs.

80 posted on 01/10/2002 12:52:39 PM PST by js1138
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